


All The Pretty Things

by Juniper11



Category: Justice League - All Media Types, Naruto
Genre: And Sakura sees it ALL, Best Friends, But no one talks about it, Crossover, Crossover Pairings, Cutting people for fun, Eyes were made to see, F/M, Fairest of Them All, Insanity Bonds, Jealous Clark Kent, Jealousy, Ogling, Platonic Life Partners, Romance, Sakura and Jason were voted most likely to kill everybody, Sakura is Exasperated, because the potential murder count could be really high, everyone knows everyone in the superhero community, the friend zone, they all hope no one goes rogue, who is in denial about his jealousy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-16
Updated: 2018-08-16
Packaged: 2019-06-28 10:27:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15705375
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Juniper11/pseuds/Juniper11
Summary: The whole League knows that Sakura Haruno has a few screws loose.  Everyone except Superman.  The Man of Steel refuses to accept that Sakura is crazy.  He also refuses to stay out of her love life.  Sakura is thankful that he's so pretty.





	All The Pretty Things

Sakura Haruno left Konoha shortly after Sasuke Uchiha proposed to her.  For a supposedly bright person, it took her that long to realize that she didn’t love him.  No, she loved the idea of Sasuke—and she also loved the fact that he was so very, very pretty. 

Sakura had a weakness for pretty things.  Be it luxurious locks or the most beautiful clothes if she saw it, she wanted it. So when Sasuke asked for her hand in marriage, and her flesh started crawling at the idea of marrying him, she realized that she had to get out of dodge.  She also realized that perhaps she had taken her obsession a bit too far…

But that was neither here nor there. 

The point was she was no longer in Konoha.  She wasn’t a missing-nin per se, but they’d have to drag her back kicking and screaming before she ever let Sasuke Uchiha put a ring on it.  She’d even cut her fingers off to little stubs before she’d marry that man.

But on a serious note, she’d never abandon her village.   She wouldn’t even consider doing that.  She wasn’t that type of ninja.  If Kaka-Sensei summoned her back, she’d come flying home faster than uh, a lot of things.

So in a series of Zatanna related events Sakura had somehow landed in another dimension or another world.  She hadn’t figured out which yet.  It didn’t matter because Zatanna had eventually helped her contact her village and between her, Zatanna, and Kaka-Sensei had set up a way for Pakkun to cross dimensions and fetch her. 

The trip would be easiest for Pakkun since he didn’t exactly live in their dimension either, so he knew a thing or two about what was required to travel to different worlds.

And that was neither here nor there either. 

This story isn’t about how Sakura arrived in a **D** ifferent **C** ultured **U** niverse.  It’s about what happened after she got there.

And what happened was friendship and later…love.

* * *

 

“Zataaannnnaa!”  Sakura whined as the magician kept a firm grip on her arm and dragged her along.  Sakura could break free if she wanted to.  She was just afraid she’d hurt Zatanna in the process, and she didn’t want that. 

The magician had become a good friend of Sakura’s, and in a lot of ways, she was closer to Zatanna than she had been to some of her friends back home.

“No, Sakura.  I’m not letting you go.”  Zatanna said calmly.

_“Hctib live uoy.”_

Zatanna’s grip slackened as she burst out laughing and Sakura pulled free.  She considered making a run for it but knew she wouldn’t hear the end of it when Zatanna caught up to her later.

“Sakura, you can’t stay cooped up inside unless we have a mission.  It’s not healthy.”

Sakura sighed and ran her fingers through her hair.  “I know it’s not.  It’s just that…”  Sakura broke off not wanting to say the words about loud.  Thankfully, Zatanna didn’t make her.  Sakura should have been suspicious about that, but foolishly she wasn’t.

“Look, it’s just going to be girl’s night.  It won’t hurt to get to know a few more members of the team, will it?”

“I suppose not,” Sakura said a little doubtfully.

* * *

 

Sakura was glad that she hadn’t left the house looking like a hobo.  Because she did have what she called the hobo bag, with hobo stuff in it because it was comfortable and it made her happy, and she was so not happy right now. 

Sakura smoothed her hands over her red sweater while straightening her spine.  She wasn’t as leggy as the other women she was slowly approaching.  In fact, that was the one thing that they all had in common. 

Diana Prince, the Amazonian Princess.  Her dark hair flowed down her back unbound and yet oddly tamed as if her hair would never dare move out of place.  She wore a long sleeved red and white striped shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans. 

Shayera Hol, the Hawkwoman.  Her wings were the most majestic thing that Sakura had ever laid eyes upon.  She found that she had a hard time not staring at them and that she just wanted to touch them to see if they were as soft as bird feathers. 

And then there was Mari McCabe the Vixen.  It wasn’t hard for Sakura to see that the woman was a supermodel.  She was beautiful with her smooth dark skin, perfect lips, hips, and breasts.  When you threw Zatanna into the mix of all these women,  Sakura felt…plain. 

A tug on her arm got Sakura moving again.  Sakura picked the seat that put Zatanna on her left and Shayera on her right.  The room was a private one since none of them wanted the general public gawking at them.  Sakura on instinct used a jutsu to ensure that nothing they said was overheard.  She thought about altering their faces but figured it was probably a little too late for that.  If any villains wanted to make a play for them then they there was nothing they could do to stop them. 

But heaven help them if they had the balls to do it.  The women at the table were no lightweights by any means.

Greetings were exchanged, and they settled in.

Diana cleared her throat drawing the eyes of all the women present.  “I know you’re all wondering why I suggested we get together and I want to thank you for taking the time to come although few details were provided to you.”

Sakura and Zatanna exchanged a brief look.  Sakura had to hold back from sighing because now she felt guilty about not wanting to come in the first place.  She was starting to feel like this was a mission-- one that was top secret and she had tried to disregard it blatantly. 

“I feel that it is important that as sisters, as women that we bond.  I do not feel that we have the relationship among us that we should and I would like that to be something that we work on.”

Vixen chuckled softly, “Diana, are you proposing friendship?”

Diana blinked slowly and then said, “Yes.  I suppose I am.”

Despite herself, Sakura felt herself smile.

* * *

 

And that was how the collection of all the pretty things began.

* * *

  
Sometimes the women met out for lunch.  At other times they would meet at each other’s homes.  It always involved them talking, getting to know each other better, and becoming better friends. 

As the friendship developed, it was Mari who first noticed it, but it was Shayera that brought it up. 

“Sakura, what’s going on with you and Superman?”

Sakura froze at the question and looked at Shayera with a blank face.  “What do you mean?”

“I mean you guys seem close.  I was wondering if you were dating.”

Quickly Sakura replied with, “No.”  Belatedly she realized that was the wrong tactic because suddenly they all were looking at her.  Sakura felt her cheeks warm and hoped against hope that the ground would swallow her whole.

She had no such luck.

No one questioned her about it, but she could feel their skepticism deep in her bones, and so she hoped that the situation would blow over. 

It didn’t.

* * *

  
That night after Sakura left Diana’s home Zatanna used a spell to take her to hers since it was the only way to travel.  Zatanna, of course, invited herself inside and put the question to her.

  
“So it’s a crush, right?”

Sakura rolled her eyes but admitted, “A little one.  He doesn’t even know I’m alive.  It’s always ‘Lois this’ and ‘Lois that.’  I am chopped liver.”

Zatanna chuckled.  “She’s been a part of his life for a while from what I understand.”

“Yeah, and there’s no way to compete with that.  I’m not even trying.”

Zatanna arched a brow.  “Oh? Then that dress you bought for that function you went with to with Bruce and co. had nothing to do with the fact that you knew Clark would be there as part of the press?”

“…no.”

Zatanna narrowed her eyes.  “I don’t like Lois.”

Sakura blinked.  “That’s a shame.  She’s a lovely woman.”

“Come on, Sakura.  You won’t even trash talk her?”

Sakura laughed.  “She hasn’t done anything to deserve that.  I can’t help it he wants her and neither can she.”

“You’re not even going to try and make a move are you?”

“Nope.”

…well at least not a second time.

 

* * *

Sakura was having lunch with Clark.  At that particular moment, she wasn't a very good friend.  All she heard was blah blah Lois blah blah blah Lane blah blah oh she’s so smart! Blah blah.  She was having difficulty not being snarky.  The longer Clark went on, the more irritable she felt.  Sakura never professed to be a saint, and she had on more than one occasion snapped on someone because they irritated her.

“Clark, if you don’t stop talking about Lois, I’m going to find her and break both of her knees—and maybe rip out her tongue.”

Clark paused, and Sakura blinked realizing she had spoken out loud.  Her gaze focused on seeing Clark looking at her in shock.  Sakura groaned inwardly.

“I’m sorry Clark.  I didn’t mean—“ Actually, she did mean it and decided not to lie about it.  “You know what?  I’m just going to leave.”

“No.  Sakura wait.”  Sakura paused.  The earnest look on Clark’s face confused her.  She would have thought that he’d be angry that she threatened his precious Lois but he didn’t seem bothered in the least.  “Don’t go.  We should talk.”

Sakura’s brow furrowed.  “About what?”

“I haven’t been a good friend to you.”

“Clark, don’t be ridiculous.  You’re a great friend.”

“No.  I’m not.  We go out, and I talk and monopolize the conversation.  I don’t think I even asked you how you were doing today.”

Sakura shifted awkwardly in her chair.  “Well, I’m fine so—“

“Are you?  Because Zatanna said—“

“Zatanna?”  _That bitch._ Sakura was going to kill her.  “You two were talking about me?”

“She’s worried, and now so I am.”

“Clark, it’s nothing worth mentioning.”

“Maybe…but sometimes I get the impression that you’re not comfortable talking to me.  We are friends, right?”

The eyes he gave her were powerful enough to make her take over the world if he’d asked.  Using them on her was dirty pool.  “You know we are.”

“Then…”

Sakura bit the inside of her lip.  “There’s a guy.”

Clark perked up.  “Oh?  Do I know him?”

Sakura waved a hand.  “It doesn’t matter if you do or not.  He’s not interested.”

“Did you ask him out?  Or—“  
“I did, but he hard-core friend zoned me.”  Sakura snorted thinking about how her friendship with Clark started.  “But it’s fine.  It’s not like…he doesn’t…we’re friends and I’m okay with that.”

“But you aren’t.  I can tell that just by looking at you.”

“Well, eventually I’ll be okay with it.”

Clark frowned.

* * *

  
  
“I should kill you.”

“I did it for your own good.  If you’re not going to do anything about it, you should let it go.  And if anyone will push for you to let go of Clark Kent, its Clark Kent even unwittingly.”

Sakura sighed.  “Whose idea was this?”

“It was Shaeyra’s idea.” 

Sakura just nodded and plotted revenge for a later time.

* * *

 

Sakura was in the Watchtower.  She was on duty that weekend with Clark, and the whole situation was awkward as hell.  He kept asking questions about her ‘guy.’ 

“What’s he like?”

“…he’s nice.”

“Nice,”  Superman said flatly. 

“Yep.”  Sakura bit her lip to keep from saying he was super. 

“And you’re sure he’s not interested?”

Sakura sighed.  “Yes, I’m sure.  Why are you obsessing over this?”  She’d almost prefer him to obsess over Lois.  Almost.  Not quite.

“I just don’t understand why he wouldn’t be.”  Sakura snorted.  “What?  There’s nothing wrong with you Sakura.  You can’t possibly think that.  You’re beautiful.”  Sakura closed her eyes and tried to will that the blush that threatened to cover her cheeks.  “You’re smart—“  Sakura couldn’t take it anymore.

“And maybe he prefers them ugly and stupid.”

“Sakura!”

“What?  It’s possible.  Everyone has their type Supes, and I’m not his.  It’s ok.  I’m ok.   Just let it go.”

He fell silent for longer than Sakura thought possible.  A total of forty-five seconds.

“Do I know him?”

“Why Clark?”  
“I don’t know.  Maybe I can talk to—“

“Absolutely not!”

“But I’m sure if,” Sakura groaned,  “I could just talk to him things would work out.”

“No.  You want to threaten the guy into dating me because if Superman strongly encourages you to see someone you probably should.”

“…so he’s a League member.”

Sakura smacked herself.

And then Sakura’s savior entered the room with the grace of a swan and the tongue of the devil.

“Ninja, what the fuck are you doing here?  Let’s go.”

Sakura turned a sullen glare at the Red Hood.  “I’m on watch.  I can’t just leave.”

“No, you’re not.  Dickie-bird is covering for you.”

Sakura jumped to her feet and then paused before sinking back into her chair.  “Are you _saying_ Nightwing is going to cover for me or is he _really_ going to?”

“Would I lie?”  Sakura started laughing. 

“I’m not getting in trouble with Batman for you.  My head belongs on its shoulders—not in one of Batman’s trophy cases.”  Jason laughed. 

“Let’s _go_ , ninja.  Someone told me you were up here chewing nails, so I came to liberate you.”  That person would be Diana.  She had lingered at the end of her shift and had probably heard bits and pieces of her ongoing conversation with Clark.  Why she called Red Hood, of all people, she didn’t know. 

Yes, she did.    She loved the hell out of Jason, and everyone knew it. 

When Sakura didn’t budge he sighed, “Look, I promise he’ll cover for you.  Get your shit and let’s go.  I’ll take you to a strip club.  We’ll enjoy a dance or two, have a few drinks, and then we can go shoot people.”

“You think I want to see naked women prancing around?”

“Shit, ninja I’m not that kind of a jerk.  I’m the other kind.  There will be naked men _and_ women.”

“I don’t want to shoot people.”  Clark made a strangled noise that Sakura ignored. 

Jason threw his hands in the air.  “Why the fuck do you have to be so damned barbaric?  Fine.  We’ll cut people.  Now get your shit!”

Sakura turned and gave him her big doe eyes. 

“You really promise?”

“Fuck!  Stop looking at me like that!”  Sakura made her green eyes impossibly larger and let her bottom lip wobble just a fraction. “Yes!  Yes!  Stop that shit!”

Sakura threw her hands up in the air and said, “Yay!”  Before darting out of the room. 

Hood pulled out his phone as soon as Sakura left like Clark wasn’t there at all while muttering under his breath, “Fucking eyes.  Always the fucking eyes.”   Clark had no qualms about eavesdropping.

“Dickie-bird, I need you to come up to the Watchtower and take Sakura’s shift.”

_“Did you piss her off again?”_

“The fuck?  Hell no.  Wonder Tits told me she was feeling down, so I came to get her.”

_“If she hears you call her that you know she’ll rip off your balls.”_

“I’m a real man Dickie.  I’ll grow a bigger set.”

Clark hears Nightwing sigh and echoes it.

_“I suppose you’ve already promised her that I’m coming.”_

“Yep.”

_“Fine, but you owe me.”_

“Sure I do.”

 _“I’m not joking Hood—“_ Red Hood hung up and turned to find Clark staring at him.

“What?”

“You’re taking her to a strip club.”  Jason doesn’t reply.  “I’ve never seen her act like that.”

“Act like what?  Normal?”

Clark didn’t think anything about Sakura’s conversation with Hood was normal.  “She was thrilled to see you.”

“Why the fuck wouldn’t she be?”

Clark shook his head.  “Nothing.  Never mind.”  It could wait, but Clark could suddenly see why Sakura couldn’t move on if the Red Hood was continually popping into her life like he was.

* * *

  
“Thank you, Di.”

“We are sisters.  We must look out for each other.”

Sakura grinned.

* * *

 

“…you didn’t go out with Red Hood and cut people did you?”

Sakura managed to keep a straight face as she told Superman, “Of course not.”

* * *

  
Zatanna lay sprawled across her couch while Sakura’s phone rang.  Zatanna glared at it. 

“He’s getting ridiculous.”

“This is your fault.  You have no right to complain.  And you never told me exactly what you told him anyway.”

“All I said was that right now you were having a hard time romantically.  I may have suggested he get you to talk about it.”

“Zatanna, I love you, but I hate you too.”

“Mmm-hmm.”

“Do you have any idea how awkward that conversation was?”

“I can imagine.  Are you going to answer that? Because Clark’s just going to call back.”

Sakura picked up the phone. 

It…wasn’t Clark.

_“You wanna tell me why the fuck Superman is extolling your virtues to me.  Does he want to fuck you?  Is he like asking for my permission?  Because my answer is hell no.  Hell.  No.  Little Ninja.”_

“Jase?”

 _“Who the fuck else would it be?  Superman?”_ Sakura wisely decides not to answer that question.

“What are you talking about?  What’s going on?”

_“Every time I see him he’s like waxing poetic about your eyes and shit.  The fuck do I care about your eyes?”_

“Um, ouch.”

_“Shut the hell up.  You know what I mean.”_

Unfortunately, Sakura did.  “I’ll talk to him.”

 _“Good.”_   Jason hung up.

Zatanna raised a questioning brow.  “Superman’s been harassing Red Hood about me.  Jase thinks he wants to date me.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes, and he said it wasn’t allowed.”

Zatanna laughed and Sakura threw a pillow at her. 

“You need to put that man out of his misery and ask him out.”

“No.  He doesn’t like me like that.”

Eventually, she forgot that she was supposed to question Clark on why he was bothering Jason.

* * *

 

It had been a while since all of them had completed a world-saving mission together.  They were on the Watchtower and had just debriefed.  Batman and company all exited the premises together.  It drew many an eye for various reasons.  Neither Batman nor his sons were powered, and yet all three men were feared and respected.  Red Hood wasn’t even a member of the League, and he had free reign of the place.  They moved together like a well-oiled machine and Sakura had a lot of respect for that. 

But to be honest, Sakura was watching them go because—

“They are so stacked in the back.  It’s like a work of art.”

Mari started laughing, and Sakura realized she had spoken out loud.  Since she began though…

“Seriously, I am a small woman, but I would not mind standing behind those giants if that’s what I got to look at instead.”

“Sakura, stop,” Mari said. 

“Mari, I’m just saying that these hands,”  Sakura stretched out her hands, “Were made for grabbing.”

Sakura heard a throat clear.  Mari’s eyes were dancing with mirth and Sakura inwardly cursed.  Why was this her life?

Sakura glanced up at Superman.  “Hey, you,” she said with a smile that she tried and failed to make look innocent.

“I wanted to talk to you.  Do you have a minute?”

“Su-“

Sakura’s word cut off when she felt a hand wrap around her throat.  Her lips curved into a slow smile and she relaxed into Jason’s touch.

“So, Dickie-bird got you something.  He forgot to give it to you.”  Jason squeezed her throat slightly before letting go and handing Sakura a box.  Sakura glanced at Jason and then the box before raising a brow.

“Dick got me this?”

“You calling me a liar?”

“I'm definitely calling bull shit.”

“I can take it back.”  Jason reached out, but Sakura pulled the box out of his reach.  “Mine.”  She snarled in his direction before she began to open her gift.  The box is blue velvet and about as long as a forearm.  When Sakura opened the box, it was to see two daggers in their sheath.  Mari took the box from her so Sakura could lift  one of the daggers out.  The hilt was black and slightly curved.  Intricate designs were carved on it.  Sakura felt like she could stare at them forever and continuously find new details.  She picked up one and pulled the dagger out of the sheath and to her surprise the blade was red.

“Hood?”

“It was forged from the blood of your enemies.”  Sakura giggled, and when Hood didn’t change his story, she giggled some more. 

“Thank you.”

“Yeah, whatever.  I’ll pass it on.”  Sakura smiled knowing there was no way Dick got her the daggers.  “They’re waiting on me.  I’ll catch you later ninja.”

“Ok, Hood.”

Jason started striding away, but he stopped, looked back at Sakura and said, “You’re checking out my ass again, aren’t you?”

Sakura caught red-handed, said, “Shut the hell up, Hood.”

“I don’t blame you.”  He said before he left.

Sakura smiled down lovingly at her dagger before reaching for the case and placing it back inside.  She looked up at Clark whose face was making a myriad of expressions.

“So you wanted to talk?”

* * *

 

After that Clark never saw Sakura again without those daggers.

* * *

 

 

Clark didn’t understand it.  The Red Hood had to be interested in Sakura.  He bought her gifts, took her out.  If Sakura wasn’t with her female friends or him, she was with Hood.  That was the only possible person she was in love with.  In the back of Clark’s mind, he realizes that Sakura had never said she was in love with anyone, but Clark was convinced that she was hiding that tidbit from him on purpose.

So he went to the only person he could to talk about it.  He arrived unannounced in the bat cave. 

“Hey, Bruce.”

“What do you want?”

Clark scowled. He knew he should have expected that sort of response, but hope was wicked.  “I wanted to talk to you about Sakura.”

Suddenly Clark had the Batman’s undivided attention.  “She’s alright?”

“She’s fine.  I just—are her and Red Hood an item?”  
Bruce snorted then said, “No.”

“Are you sure?”

“Why do you care Clark?”

“Sakura’s my friend, and she’s been down lately, and the only person who can ever bring her out of her funk is the Red Hood.”

“So you’re jealous.”

“What?  Why would I be jealous?”

“Because she doesn’t need you.”

Clark huffed.  “It’s not like that.  I’m just concerned.”

“Well, don’t be.  Their relationship isn’t like that.”

“How do you know?”

Bruce sighed.  “You’re not going to let this go, are you?”

“I can’t.  She’s too important for that.”

Bruce rolled his eyes. 

“Have you ever met any of Sakura’s people?”

“No.”

“Interesting.  Has anyone ever told you how Sakura and Jason met?”

  
“I’ve asked her, but all she told me was that they fiercely collided and it resulted in a friendship of epic proportions.” 

Bruce’s lips twitched.   “I’ll show you.”

Batman pressed a few keys on his computer and brought up old security footage.  Clark could see Sakura wandering around the cave poking at everything.  Then suddenly a gun was pressed against her temple and seconds later the trigger was pulled.  Clark was unable to stop himself from flinching.  He knew that Sakura hadn’t been killed.  This was old footage, and he had seen her the previous day.  She was fine. 

He still wanted to leave and go check.

Clark watched as Sakura and Red Hood fought it out.  He could tell Sakura was toying with him as she sliced at his skin with her kunai.  In the interim Sakura knocked off Red Hood’s helmet and then cut his face.  After that, she proceeded to tackle and pin him.  She looked down at him, and a bright smile crossed her lips before she leaned down and licked his face.  Bruce paused the video, went back some, zoomed in on Sakura’s and Red Hood’s face before playing it again.  The cut on Hood’s face was bleeding profusely, but Sakura leaned down licked the wound and when she was done his face was healed.

He heard Red Hood’s voice gruffly say, “You gonna heal the rest of me that way?”

Sakura made a lewd gesture with her tongue.  “Don’t you wish?”

Batman stopped the playback.  “This is Sakura’s relationship with Red Hood in a nutshell.”

“…fighting?”

“Crazy.”  Batman corrected.  “The place Sakura’s from…her people are not quite sane.   They are functional lunatics.”

“Bruce that’s not—“

“Politically correct?  Maybe not, but it’s an accurate assessment.  The thing that Jason loves about Sakura is her wholehearted acceptance of him.  Jason is…not all there, and Sakura doesn’t care.  Most of her people are not quite there.  To Sakura, there’s nothing wrong with Jason.  He’s like one of her teammates.”

“There’s something wrong with Jason.”

“I know, but Sakura keeps Jason from going too far.  He has no qualms with murder, but for Sakura, he’ll settle for just maiming people.  In return, Sakura will help him as they eloquently put it ‘fuck people up.’

“She’s in love with him.”

“She loves him.  Of that, I have no doubt.  But their relationship is platonic.”

“Maybe on one side but not both.”

Bruce just sighed.

“Clark do you not know Sakura at all?”

Clark’s whole body stiffened.  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I mean the most fundamental part of Sakura’s personality is her lack of sanity.”

“She’s not—“

“She _is_.  She’ll even tell you if you bother to ask.  Everyone in the League knows that Sakura’s not sane.  She can’t be—not and be who she is.”

“And what is she, Bruce?”

“She’s a trained killer.”  Clark felt a surge of rage envelope his chest.

“Don’t talk about her like that.”

“I’m not saying anything that isn’t true.  I don’t dislike Sakura.  I welcome her presence around my family, my _children_.  But I do that with my eyes wide open.  It’s time you opened yours and figure out why you don’t know a person who is your supposed friend.”

* * *

  
“Yeah, she’s crazy.  How is it that you don’t know that?”  Clark gritted his teeth as he looked at the Flash.  “Even the villains know that.  They hate when Sakura and Jason pair up.  They call them the Pretty Death.”

“Why?  Sakura keeps Jason from killing them.”

“Don’t you know there are fates worse than death?  A Sakura/Jason team up is a fate worse than death—and they’re proud of that.”

* * *

 

“Sakura loves all the pretty things.”

Clark frowned at Mari’s words.  “What does that even mean?”

“You’ve never noticed that she surrounds herself with people that are gorgeous?  Things that are beautiful?  It’s her way of coping with the madness of her life.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Don’t you ever become battle weary?”   Clark did, and he told her so.  “So what do you do to make yourself feel better?”

“Usually, family and friends do the trick.”

“Well for Sakura it’s all the pretty things.”

And what he took from that was, “She thinks I’m pretty?”

Mari laughed. 

* * *

 

Clark was around more than he usually was.  This wasn’t something that bothered Sakura.  She loved being around him.  The problem was he was freaking her out a little.  He hadn’t mentioned Lois once since his arrival, and that had her wondering whether or not the woman was dead.

So Sakura did something she never thought she would do. 

“How’s Lois?”

“She’s fine.” 

When Clark didn’t elaborate the hairs on Sakura’s arms began to rise. 

“Anything new going on with you two?”

“No.”

Sakura couldn’t stop herself from giving Clark the side-eye because she knew something was going on.  She didn’t press any further, but she wanted answers.  Especially after Clark, who was seated next to her on the sofa watching television grabbed a pillow from behind him put it in Sakura’s lap and laid down on it.

Sakura knew she should probably want to tell Clark to move.  But she didn’t.  She liked him right where he was.  In the back of her mind, she realized that he probably thought this was okay because she recalled he had seen Jason and Dick doing the same thing.  Although there was a lot more fighting involved, it amounted to the same.

Sakura couldn’t stop herself from treading her fingers through Clark’s hair.

He didn’t object.

Sakura wished _so much_. 

 

* * *

Clark started acting shady as hell, but instead of getting angry Sakura thought it was cute.  That is, until the day Jason informed Clark that Kryptonite bullets were a thing.  Then Sakura had to get involved. 

* * *

 

 

She surprised him at his apartment.  Showing up unannounced wasn’t something she usually did.  But sometimes when dealing with stubborn Kryptonians, you had to be unpredictable.  She saw the surprise on his face the second he opened the door, and Sakura immediately slipped by him and tossed the question over her shoulder, “Clark, what is wrong with you?”  Sakura demanded as she whirled around to face him with hands on her hips and fire in her eyes. 

“W-what are you talking about?”  He hastily closed the door and ushered Sakura deeper into his apartment.  Sakura went willingly, but she could multitask.  She had no problem walking and bitching. 

“Don’t be coy.  I know you’re asking people questions about me, you're rude to some of my friends, and I want to know why.”

When Clark didn’t immediately start talking, Sakura began to tap her foot.

“It started because I was worried.”

“About me?”  Sakura asked incredulously, and Clark nodded.  “Why were you worried about me?”

“It’s just that you’re around him all the time and it can’t be healthy constantly being around the man you’re in love with.  You’ll never move on if it continues.”

Sakura needed to plot her revenge against Shayera and Zatanna.  “I’m sorry, but who am I in love with?”

“Red Hood.”

Sakura opened her mouth, but Clark shook his head.  “You don’t have to deny it.  I know most people think your relationship with him is platonic.”

“It _is_ platonic.”

“Come on, Sakura.  You can trust me.  I see the way you are with him.”

“And how am I with him?”

“…happier.”

Before Sakura could stop herself, she ran her finger against the sheath at her thighs. 

“Ok, let’s put the conversation about Hood on hold.  You’ve been asking people whether or not they thought I was crazy.”

“I don’t think you’re crazy!”

“I don’t know why not.  I am.”

“Don’t say that Sakura.”

“Why?  It’s the truth.”

“It’s not.”  His firm tone brooked no argument, so Sakura sighed. 

“I suppose crazy is in the eye of the beholder.”

Clark narrowed his eyes.  “Funny.” 

Sakura shrugged.  “I thought so.”  Then she sighed and ran a hand over her face.  “Clark, I do love Jason.”  Clark’s face did a thing that Sakura didn’t understand, but she persevered.  “But I would never dream of crossing that line between us.  I don’t even want to.  We can’t give each other what we need in that way.”

“But the two of you seem so…”

“In tune?  Yeah, I know.  That’s just us, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

“…then who is he?  There’s no one else it could be.”

Sakura looked up and prayed for guidance.  “There isn’t?”

“No!”

“There’s no one you can think of that I could even be remotely interested in that I’m friends with?”

“…Dick?”

Sakura slapped herself and muttered under her breath, “Thank goodness you’re pretty.”  But he heard her and asked next.  “…am I one of your pretty things?”

Sakura didn’t know who had told Clark about all the pretty but staring into Clark’s eyes she decided that maybe she should listen to Zatanna and try again.

Sakura stalked closer to Clark and wasn’t surprised when she had him backed up against the wall. 

“Clark,”  Sakura explained patiently, “you’re the prettiest of them all.”

She kissed him and then he understood. 

 

When he called himself an idiot, Sakura laughed.

“But wait!”  Clark said, “you’ve never asked me out!  You said—“

He was so very pretty.  “Clark, what was the first thing we ever did together?”

“Are you talking about that time me, you, and Lois went to lunch?”

“Yes.  And who did I ask to come with me?  You?  Or you and Lois?”  Sakura watched as realization washed over him.  This time Clark smacked himself.  “Mmm-hmm.  So am I safe to assume that since your tongue was just down my throat that you’re okay with this turn of events?”

Clark grinned.  “More than ok.”

“And you will stop harassing Jason?”

Clark had the grace to look sheepish.  “Yeah, sorry.”

“Good…but once he finds out we’re together you really should be wary of Kryptonite bullets.”

Clark reached to pull her close to him then paused and said, “Wait.  What?”

Sakura laughed.  “Don’t worry.  I’ll make sure he aims to maim.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_Outtake:_

 

Clark narrows his eyes at Sakura.  "Wait.  When I thought you were interested in someone else you said 'maybe he prefers them ugly and stupid'.  You were talking about Lois, weren't you?"

Sakura smirked and said, "Of course not."

Clark didn't believe a word of it.  He had a lot to learn about Sakura Haruno but he was okay with that.

Clark paled when he recalled all the times Sakura had said 'Of course not.'


End file.
